The Zimbabwe Nurses Association (ZINA) has warned the government of potential nationwide industrial action, citing unfulfilled promises over health-specific allowance reviews and a disputed job evaluation exercise that has left healthcare workers across the country frustrated.
In a formal statement, ZINA accused the government of reneging on resolutions made through the Health Bipartite Negotiating Forum in May. According to the union, both parties agreed to review allowances covering night duty, on-call services, standby duty, nurse management, post-basic qualifications, mental health duties, special health tasks, and uniforms. Revised payouts were expected to take effect in June.
However, despite health worker representatives submitting their proposals and the Health Services Commission (HSC) forwarding the matter to the Ministry of Finance, the government has provided no substantive response or timeline for implementation nearly three months later.
The last official adjustment to health-specific allowances was conducted in 2022. ZINA stressed that sharp rises in the cost of living and broader economic pressures have severely eroded worker purchasing power, rendering current compensation inadequate for the demanding, high-risk, and unsocial conditions health personnel face daily.
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"ZINA maintains that the government must honour its commitments and urgently conclude the review process," the association stated. "Continued delays are worsening an already serious morale crisis among nurses, doctors, pharmacists, laboratory scientists, and other health professionals, with potential consequences for the quality and sustainability of healthcare delivery."
Compounding the wage dispute is a widespread rejection of the recent health sector job evaluation conducted by the HSC.
Health worker representatives argue the exercise suffered from inadequate employee consultation and relied on a methodology that failed to capture the unique realities of medical practice such as heavy clinical responsibilities, professional accountability, emergency response duties, and unsocial working hours.
ZINA also raised serious concerns over the integrity of the appeals process. While a May agreement established a balanced 4-4 appeals committee comprising four government officials and four worker representatives reports now indicate the government intends to redirect appeals to the Public Service Commission. ZINA firmly opposed the move, stating the agreed mechanism cannot be unilaterally altered.
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